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Yellow Cottage Vintage Mysteries #0.5

The Yellow Cottage Mystery

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The Yellow Cottage Mystery is the short story prequel to the mystery series and tells the tale of how Ella comes to find the cottage and the adoption of her unusual sidekick.

40 pages, Unknown Binding

2 people are currently reading
148 people want to read

About the author

J. New

44 books216 followers
Claim your FREE book at www.jnewwrites.com

WRITER OF BRITISH MYSTERIES. Historical, contemporary, paranormal, cozy, humorous. Featuring memorable protagonists, their unusual side-kicks and an eclectic ensemble of supporting cast members. They usually include spirits (all varieties) a little bit of magic, a spot of romance and copious amounts of tea. At regular intervals they involve steam trains and sometimes bicycles.

SERIES:

THE YELLOW COTTAGE VINTAGE MYSTERIES, traditional English whodunits with a twist, set in the 1930s. Known for their clever humor as well as the interesting slant on the traditional murder mystery.

THE TEA & SYMPATHY series featuring Lilly Tweed, former newspaper Agony Aunt, now purveyor of fine teas at The Tea Emporium in the small English market town of Plumpton Mallet. Along with a regular cast of characters, including Earl Grey the shop cat.

THE FINCH & FISCHER series featuring mobile librarian Penny Finch and her rescue dog Fischer. Follow them as they dig up clues and sniff out red herrings in the six quintessential English villages and hamlets that make up Hampsworthy Downs.

Jacquie was born in West Yorkshire, England. She studied art and design and after qualifying began work as an interior designer, moving onto fine art restoration and animal portraiture before deciding to pursue her lifelong ambition to write.

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5 stars
27 (34%)
4 stars
27 (34%)
3 stars
22 (28%)
2 stars
2 (2%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Ivonne Rovira.
2,540 reviews251 followers
February 20, 2019
This very brief prequel to the Yellow Cottage Mystery is charming, but there’s nothing in it that you can’t discover by simply reading the first novel in the series, An Accidental Murder. While I enjoyed this short story, it really is for J. New fans only.
Profile Image for Debra B.
823 reviews41 followers
June 15, 2021
Though short, I'm intrigued by the story and look forward to reading more in this series.

A young girl spots a quaint cottage while on holiday with her family. Years later, as an adult, she finds the cottage for sale at a greatly reduced price due to some strange occurrences while other prospective owners tour the cottage.
Profile Image for Rose English.
Author 22 books183 followers
December 30, 2017
Book 07 of my Goodreads Challenge 2017

This is a truly beautiful short story about a mysterious yellow cottage with a prime position on a small island.

I loved the beautiful descriptions especially when the cottage is first seen

'...painted yellow. Not bright but like lemon sherberts or winter sunshine.'

I was so drawn into the story the very aroma of the garden lifted from the very pages.

Very highly recommended. This came FREE as a download when I signed up to the authors website.

https://www.jnewwrites.com/
Profile Image for Susan.
7,254 reviews69 followers
May 5, 2018
A delightful short story wish tells the tale of how Ella Bridges discovers the Yellow Cottage as a child and later how she sees that it is for sale.
Profile Image for Karen.
297 reviews20 followers
January 2, 2025
It took me three tries to get the link to this book (that is, I signed up for the newsletter three times over the course of the year!). I am glad I read it, but it did nothing to answer the questions I had after reading the first book in the series, An Accidental Murder.

Other reviewers have said that it is not necessary to read this to enjoy the series, and that is true. This is a short story about how Ella came to own the titular "yellow cottage." It is a cute story involving ghosts and a fantastic description of the furnished cottage--inside and out.

My complaint is that the first book of the series drops the reader into Ella's world and we have no idea who the ghosts are, how Ella came to "know" them, etc. I thought this prequel would answer some of those questions.

I'm left wondering how Ella acquired her ability to see/talk to ghosts. Has she had the ability since childhood? Why doesn't her brother have the gift as well?

Maybe future entries in the series are going to answer some of those questions???

It is a nice addition to have if you read the series, but only necessary to the overall enjoyment of the series because you get to know exactly what the house looks like. It sounds gorgeous and a place I'd love to live. But this does nothing to explain the series.
Profile Image for Sharen.
609 reviews5 followers
June 6, 2021
An absolutely delightful prelude to a series. It is a very short novella…but charming nevertheless. I have the next book all ready to read and can’t wait to start it. J. New seems to have written this prelude to give readers the backstory of the Yellow Cottage and I found this as a free “book” on the author’s website. Love this book! Lead up indicates Magick, a cat, maybe a ghost/spirit of the previous owner, likable characters, and a wonderful storyline. Highly recommend this prelude if you can find it.
36 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this prequel, but am only giving it three stars because of its short length and lack of complexity. It has definitely served its purpose though. I will be buying both full books in the series. Looking forward to reading them. I love the premise.
Profile Image for Tony Hisgett.
3,001 reviews36 followers
March 9, 2019
A nice short story, with some paranormal overtones. The story introduces The Yellow Cottage and describes how it comes into Ella’s possession, although it doesn’t answer any of the subsequent questions.
Profile Image for Carol.
131 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2018
I like the main character very much, but my goodness this story needs a proof editor! Several instances of possessive "it's:" (ouch) and then there were the "peony's". Stop the apostrophe abuse!
Profile Image for Nancy Dillow.
197 reviews
January 28, 2018
This new author (to me) has some of the best descriptions for the venue of the story. It's part mystery, part "fantasy", and fully enjoyable.
Profile Image for Natalie Bachiri.
95 reviews4 followers
March 18, 2018
I love this book and the The Clerical Error. I love the characters and want to move into this quaint little town and the Yellow Cottage.
Profile Image for Amy.
171 reviews15 followers
January 8, 2019
This was a very brief intro to this series, but it was an enjoyable beginning. Looking forward to continuing through the rest of the series!
45 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2019
Loved it. So much so that I have already bought the next two books.
Profile Image for Jan.
712 reviews33 followers
August 2, 2019
This was a sweet story and introduction to the series. I will definitely be reading the first full length novel. Hoping it lives up to my expectations.
1,700 reviews35 followers
November 26, 2019
Cute story, very short read.
The author needs to invest in better editing software.
Profile Image for Tracy.
137 reviews5 followers
April 21, 2025
After listening to The Accidental Murder by this author, I was intrigued enough to read the prequel. I will definitely be reading more of these cosy mysteries from J New.
Profile Image for Sandy  McKenna.
775 reviews16 followers
September 1, 2022
Mystical.
A charming prequel to An Accidental Murder which allows the reader a glimpse into the history of the Yellow Cottage.
If this is a guide, then I am very much looking to reading more in this series.
Profile Image for Laura.
120 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2018
I liked this mini pre-story. I actually read it after the first book in this series. It was a great way to get a feel for the cottage and gardens. Cool idea to have it be a download after subscribing to the newsletter.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

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